Sadhus demand 'dry zone' in Barsana

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 

Mathura: The sadhus of Braj bhumi

have given a call for making Barsana a dry zone and close liquor shops in the area.

"Pilgrims are pained when they find sale of liquor, eggs and meat in the pious land of Barsana. If district administration does not heed the demand, not only roads would be blocked but agitation would also be intensified," Ram Raj Das Baba, the Mahant of Sudama Kuti said.

In a maha-panchayat held in Barsana on Sunday, Gopeswar Das Maharaj of Gaudham Tirtha Jadkhor in Rajasthan, demanded dry zone in Barsana like Vrindavan while Mahant Ramkaran Das Baba of Unchagaon said only three day time limit be given to district administration to implement the demand.

The maha-panchayat was attended by over a dozen saints and residents of neighbouring village.

"Now the saints have extended the time limit up to March 7," Padam Fauzi, the vice president of Sri Ji Mandir Vikas trust said today.

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Barsana gears up for Lathmaar Holi

Brij Khandelwal,TNN | Feb 24, 2015

Mathura: Barsana women, the gopis called Huriyarins, are all set to take on their male counterparts (Gops) Wednesday with their well oiled batons (lathis) as the famous "Lathmaar Holi" begins Wednesday morning in full view of thousands of revellers and pilgrims thronging the holy town associated with Radha, the beloved of Lord Krishna. 

Barsana's Lath Maar Holi will be played on February 26 and 27. On 26th is the Laddoo Holi and 27th is the famous Lathmaar Holi. 

SDM Surendra Pal Singh and CO Atul Kumar Srivastav have drawn up elaborate security and traffic movement plans for the occasion when more than a lakh pilgrims are expected to witness the celebrations. 

Trained divers will keep a vigil at the Gahvar Kund, Priya kund and Vrishubhan Kund. The areas have been barricaded. 

CO Atul Kumar Srivastav said revellers have to maintain dignity. Cops in plain clothes will keep a watch on eve teasers. 

The state roadways will add 65 buses to its fleet to ferry pilgrims from Barsana and Nandgaon. Eight teams of the health workers with doctors would remain available at the spot. 

Encroachments have been removed. This year the administration is not permitting Bhandaras in the town. Nagar Panchayat chief Ashok Goyal said Bhandaras can be held outside the town. 

"This is one occasion when women empowered and well looked after by their in laws enter the compound in the Ladli ji temple to square up scores with an oppressive male dominated society, raining lathies on the male members who use leather coated shields to protect their heads and torsos. The veiled young women in colourful attires show no mercy and while the show is on many gop kumars do get hurt and have to leave the battle ground," explains a senior priest pandit Ram Babu Sharma. 

Pilgrims have already checked in guest houses and dharamshalas "while many will reach from Vrindavan and Delhi early Wednesday." Barsana SHO said additional force had been deployed and safety precautions taken to ensure a smooth conduct of the proceedings and manage the traffic flow from Goverdhan and Vrindavan sides. 

The Rangeeli Gali is being decked up and decorated with buntings and flowers. The administration has been busy last few days repairing roads and marking new parking slots for thousands of vehicles expected to line up for the celebrations. The state roadways corporation has planned running extra buses from Mathura. "Weather looks good for a great celebration and we hope to do brisk business," said a local shopkeeper Murari Lal, selling gulal and colours. Shops selling musical CDs and VCDs are also expecting good sales "as most pilgrims who come do buy a recorded CD of bhajans and Holi sangeet." 

"Women of the Goswami Samaj in Barsana begin their preparations a fortnight in advance to take on male Huriyaras from Nandgaon, a few kilometres away. Its a tradition that has flowed down for centuries. Abeer Gulal and coloured water made from Tesu ka phools which has a very pleasing fragrance will be used," said a local panda Krishn Kant. 

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SC says condition of Vrindavan widows 'bad' despite its orders

Friday, 20 February 2015

Noting that there was "no" improvement in "pitiable" living conditions of widows in shelter homes at Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court today asked a senior state official to ensure compliance of its earlier orders within 45 days. 

 

Vrindavan widows File Photo 

Noting that there was "no" improvement in "pitiable" living conditions of widows in shelter homes at Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court today asked a senior state official to ensure compliance of its earlier orders within 45 days.

"It appears that no substantial progress has been made despite our orders. Civic facilities are poor and something has to be done. The condition of widows is very bad," the social justice bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit said.

It appointed Priyanka Kumar, Secretary of the Women and Child Welfare Ministry of UP Government, as the nodal officer and asked her to do the "needful" within 45 days from today. The bench referred to various reports filed by the NALSA, District Legal Services Authority and National Commission for Women (NCW) on "pitiable" conditions of four shelter homes meant for widows in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh.

The bench asked the Secretary to look into these reports and the order of the court and ensure their compliance. It also asked the government official to ensure that there is no lack of funds. One of the reports said that there is lack of proper toilets and bathrooms in the shelter homes and moreover, monkeys have also created a havoc there.

There are also poor facilities of water and electricity, it said. Earlier, the apex court had pulled up the National Commission for Women and its Uttar Pradesh counterpart for their apathy to the pitiable condition of Vrindavan widows in shelter homes. It had asked the state government to provide adequate food and hygienic living environment for them.

The bench had also directed the state government to provide medical facilities to the widows. It had directed the Vrindavan chief medical officer to ensure that a team of doctors visits the widows' shelter at least twice a week.

The court had passed the order on pleas seeking direction to the Centre and the state government to provide shelter and other necessary facilities to the widows in the city who have been abandoned by their family members.

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Save Braj Bhasha from extinction, demand scholars, artistes

Mathura, Feb 17 (IANS) — Under a combined onslaught of Hindi and English, the popular local dialect Braj Bhasha, identified with Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha, is facing extinction.

Lovers of Braj Bhasha and literature during a seminar Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the Uttar Pradesh and central governments for protecting and promoting the regional dialect.

They demanded that the dialect, spoken by more than two crore people in the districts of Agra, Mathura, Hathras and Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur and Dholpur in Rajasthan, be introduced as a language subject in schools and colleges.

Organised by the Jan Sanskritik Manch, the programme was attended by a large number of academicians, scholars, artists and cultural activists.

Speakers lamented the gradual decline of Braj Bhasha and a general lack of interest in promoting the rich cultural and literary heritage of the Braj region, identified with the mythology connected to Lord Krishna.

They said that while Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Maithili and various other dialects were being patronised and promoted, the loss of interest in Braj Bhasha, despite its rich literature — written and oral — evokes concern.

The participants demanded arrangements for teaching Braj Bhasha in the Braj region. At present, there is neither a Braj Bhasha Academy nor is All India Radio doing anything to promote this dialect.

Braj Bhasha and the Bhakti movement, or the devotional poetry trend in the 16th and 17th century, are considered synonymous.

The noted poets Soor Das, Ras Khan, and Amir Khusrau — who wrote the famous “Chaap Tilak Sab cheeni” — wrote in Braj Bhasha which continues to remain the main language of the Hindustani classical music compositions.

Culture activists said the dialect — so rich in literature and folk-lore — is being denied the opportunity to prosper. “Saving Braj Bhasha would also help in conservation of the distinct cultural identity of the Braj area with numerous temples of Sri Krishna and Radha that attract millions of people from all over the world round the year,” said Ashok Bansal, writer and culture activist. The seminar was addressed by Jagdishwar Chaturvedi and presided over by Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority vice chairman Nagendra Pratap.

Speaking on Braj Sanskriti and our responsibility, Prof Chaturvedi said: “It is lamentable how literary and creative writers in order to promote Khadi Boli shunted out Braj Bhasha that enriched the Hindi language. “The blind bard of Braj Soor Das, by scripting more than a lakh padas (poems), enriched Braj Bhasha and made Krishna Bhakti popular. Lovers of Hindi literature can come forward to protect and promote Braj Bhasha.”

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Mathura municipal to spend Rs 86.85cr on road repairs

TNN | Feb 17, 2015

Mathura: The city municipality will spend Rs 86.85 crore in the next fiscal for development of infrastructure in the holy city. Officials said priority will be given to repairing of roads. 

After a meeting of members, municipal chairperson Manisha Gupta said, "The proposals for the budgetary outlays were cleared at the meeting unanimously. Considerations are also on to raise the wages of 550 safai karamcharis. They will also be given uniforms." 

Officials added that policies regarding self-assessment of house tax, penalty on use of polythene and imposing a fine on using public land for marriages are being drawn up and would be implemented soon, she added. 

They said the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) too has a budget allocation for development of the city. Notably, Mathura has been sanctioned Rs 40 crore under the 'Heritage city development and augmentation yojana (HRIDAY)' scheme of the central government. 

Meanwhile, there have been demands from various local bodies for better coordination and evolving a consensus on issues that affect the long-term developmental plans for the entire Braj area. 

"Communication gap between decision-makers and the executing agencies has been a major flaw which needs rectification. So far they have not been able to resolve the issue about upgrading the local municipality to the corporation-level. The Braj heritage plan has to be discussed as well as the Braj haat project. So many announcements have been made by the state and central leaders for the Yamuna, but so far, nothing concrete has been done," said a social activist Jagannath Poddar. 

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Delhi Businessman donates 30-kg silver plated door to Vrindavan's Banke Bihari

February 13, 2015

Mathura: A Delhi-based businessman has gifted a 30-kg silver plated door to the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan here.

President of Temple committee, Nandkishore Upmanyu said that the businessman, who did not wanted to reveal his identity, had sought permission to gift something to the temple as a mark of gratitude to Lord Krishna after some of his wishes were fulfilled.

After getting permission, artisans from Varanasi and Jaipur were called, who silver-plated the doors of the sanctum sanctorum, Upmanyu said.

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Lord Vishwanath to visit Kanha’s Mathura

VARANASI: The presence of Lord Shiva of Kashi Vishwanath in the form of a movable bust will be felt in Mathura on March 11 as the renovated Rudra Kunda on Govardhan Parikrama route of Braj would be dedicated to public in presence of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Chairman of Braj Foundaion, an organization involved in conservation of many heritage sites and waterbodies in Braj region, Vineet Narain informed TOI on Saturday, "The renovation and beautification of Rudra Kund is in the final stage and its dedication is proposed on March 11. A movable bust of Lord Vishwanatha along with a delegation of priests, intellectuals and scholars of Kashi will reach Mathura in a special train on March 10. A procession led by palanquin of Lord Vishwanatha will reach Rudra Kund on next day to mark its dedication in the presence of the CM."

Rudra Kund was last restored in 1933 by one Chunnilal Daga of Kolkata, who was also the Member of Lagislative Assembly (British Government), New Delhi. He even brought a canal from Palson minor irrigation canal to fill this kund. For more than five decades this kund remained completely ignored by government bodies as well as locals due to which it turned in to garbage dumping ground.

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Monkeys in Vrindavan getting more aggressive by the day

Feb 5, 2015 

Mathura: The rising monkey population in Braj region has become a cause of concern for residents. In yet another tragic incident involving the rowdy primates, an elderly sant (holy man), identified as mahant Lal Baba, 75, of Madhav Kunj, fell from the terrace and died at spot on Wednesday evening. 

Baba had gone up to the terrace to fetch items needed for a puja when a tribe of monkeys pounced upon him. The frightened man who tried to flee, lost his balance and fell off the terrace. He suffered severe head injuries. Police have sent the body for a postmortem examination. 

Ashram inmates told police that Lal Baba had gone to the terrace to collect "bel-patra" for puja. "Just then a troop of rowdy monkeys attacked him. He fell down from the roof and died instantly." 

Two days ago, a woman was attacked in the heart of the city and suffered serious injuries. Laxmi of Keshi ghat area fell from the terrace on Sunday afternoon and was admitted to the district hospital in a serious condition. She fell from the second floor and broke her legs. 

According to locals, they are fed up with the simian nuisance, that is increasing with each passing day. In spite of the alarming instances of monkey attacks, the authorities do not appear to have any plan of action to contain the growing number of monkeys in Vrindavan. "The pilgrims are being attacked," said a local 'panda', Jagdish Prasad. 

The number of monkeys in Mathura district that includes Goverdhan, Radha Kund, Gokul and Barsana, is estimated to be more than 10,000. Most have turned violent and aggressive, say locals. 

The issue of monkey menace has been taken up by local MP, Hema Malini. She has written to various government departments and even asked for sterilization but so far, nothing concrete has been done. 

"The problem is that monkeys are growing at a faster pace than what the green cover in the area can sustain. Their natural habitat has shrunk and no authority in any other place is willing to accept them," says social activist Pavan Gautam. 

Their aggressive behavior is also being attributed to the fact that most of the monkeys do not get enough to eat and so rummage through garbage dumps. "As a result, they also fall prey to diseases," added Satpal Yadav, a resident of Chaumuhan. 

When contacted, district magistrate Rajesh Kumar said the administration was exploring ways to tackle it and looking for ways this could be done. 

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Infinity to invest Rs 1,000 cr on Vrindavan housing project

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi  

January 27, 2015 

Kolkata-based firm will develop this project over 40 acre land, located along side the upcoming world's tallest temple 'Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir', 700 ft high. 

"We are coming up with a residential project at Vrindavan comprising about 2,000 units and 140 villas. The project will be in developed in phases," Infinity Group Chairman & Managing Director Ravindra Chamaria said. 

The company has started the development of infrastructure work in this project, he said, adding that the construction contract would be awarded soon.

Chamaria said the project cost is estimated at about Rs 1,000 crore and would be funded through internal accruals and advances from customers. 

In the first phase of the 'Krishna Bhumi' project, the company has launched about 800 apartments at a basic selling price of Rs 3,500 per sq ft, he said. 

The company has already sold all the villas, which were being offered at a starting price of Rs 1.5 crore, Chamaria said. 

Infinity group has so far completed development of 7 million sq ft of IT Parks in Kolkata. 

It has partnered Godrej Properties for development of 'Godrej Waterside', the largest IT Park in Eastern India with over 1.8 million square feet developed in two phases. 

Besides Kolkata, the company is developing various projects at Guwahati (Assam), Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) and Ranchi (Jharkand).​

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50% Agra sewage water dumped into Yamuna daily

Arvind Chauhan,TNN | Jan 28, 2015

AGRA: A clean Yamuna might be a distant dream yet. Almost half of Agra's waste water is discharged untreated into the Yamuna daily due to shortage of sewage treatment plants (STP), according to the Yamuna Pollution Control Unit (YPCU), UP Jal Nigam. 

The city produces 320.75 million liter per day (mld) of untreated waste water, of which only 180.25 mld is treated in nine sewage treatment plants (STP), two of which are owned by private firms. YPCU officials warn that unless six more STPs with a combined capacity of 130 mld are operationalized soon, the river water will be poisoned. 

Speaking to TOI, Khalid Ahmad, YPCU project manager, said, "In 2013, we had sent a proposal to the central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme to construct six STPs worth Rs 1,400 crore to treat 130 mld of waste water. But the scheme was scrapped after the new government came to power, and we are now waiting for the government to launch a new welfare program so that we can resend the proposal." 

According to the proposal, Ahmad said, the current STPs, which are managed by the Jal Nigam, need upgradation along with construction of new sewer lines. Over and above this, six new STPs are required, including one in the north zone of the city with a capacity of 20 mld; three in the south zone, namely Phase I with a capacity of 16 mld, Phase II with 24 mld and Phase III with 14 mld; a 20mld plant in the east zone; and one 36mld plant in the west zone. 

"Of the six, the west zone plant is under construction but we need more money to complete it," Ahmad said. 

The current STPs cannot treat chemical waste water produced by factories, and this is wantonly discharged into the main drainage system without proper treatment, sources in the YPCU said. 

Anand Kumar Anand, regional officer of Uttar Pradesh pollution control board, said, "We have given six months to private factories to shift their plants out of the city and install STPs to treat chemical waste water before dumping it into river." ​​

​More than Rs 1,500 crore has been spent over two decades in cleaning the Yamuna.

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